Movies

The One Actor Who Battled Both Ethan Hunt and John Wick Will Shock You!

BBG News

Two remarkable modern action series, “Mission: Impossible” and “John Wick,” showcase the exceptional skills of Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves in distinct ways. Although “Mission: Impossible” started nearly two decades before “John Wick,” both franchises have been emblematic of modern action extravaganzas for approximately the last ten years. Both series challenge their stars to perform more awe-inspiring practical action sequences, with Cruise favoring grandiose, unrealistic set pieces, and Reeves captivating audiences with meticulously designed fight scenes and gunfights.

The daring spy character portrayed by Cruise’s Ethan Hunt consistently puts his life on the line to save others, regardless of the danger he faces. On the other hand, Reeves’ John Wick has been navigating the assassin underworld for various vengeful purposes. Each new installment and villain they’ve vanquished has left viewers in awe, making them seem even more heroic. Interestingly, the intensity of their characters is often amplified by the caliber of adversaries they encounter. Remarkably, one fortunate actor has had the opportunity to square off against both Ethan Hunt and John Wick.

Michael Nyqvist Is The Only Actor To Be A Villain In Mission: Impossible & John Wick

He’s Great At Playing Russian Bad Guys

Over the course of seven (soon to be eight) “Mission: Impossible” films and four (soon to be five) “John Wick” movies, numerous prominent actors have taken on roles as antagonists within these popular franchises. Actors such as Jon Voight, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Léa Seydoux, Henry Cavill, Sean Harris, and Esai Morales have portrayed villains in the “Mission: Impossible” series, while Common, Ruby Rose, Bill Skarsgård, Mark Dacascos, and others have played antagonists in the “John Wick” films.

At present, Michael Nyqvist is the sole actor to have portrayed a villain in both the Mission: Impossible and John Wick film series. He gained significant recognition for his role in the Millennium Trilogy movie adaptations of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but he has also confronted Ethan Hunt and John Wick on separate occasions. Although there may be some shared stunt performers or supporting actors across the different films, Nyqvist stands alone as the only individual to have played a primary antagonist in both Mission: Impossible and John Wick.

In the fourth installment of the Mission: Impossible series, starring Tom Cruise, Michael Nyqvist was tasked with playing the role of the antagonist. Specifically, his character, Kurt Hendricks, served as the main adversary for this movie. Hendricks orchestrated the bombing of the Kremlin and came close to igniting a nuclear conflict between Russia and the United States. However, thanks to the bravery of Ethan Hunt and his IMF team, disaster was averted. Interestingly, it wasn’t until the climax of the movie that Nyqvist’s character got to square off against Tom Cruise in an intense final showdown.

Three years following his portrayal as the antagonist in “Ghost Protocol”, actor Nyqvist joined the cast for the initial John Wick film. He embodied Viggo Tarasov, a formidable Russian crime lord. Viggo significantly impacted John Wick’s existence, recruiting him into the criminal underworld of Russia and devising the “impossible mission” that John had to accomplish to extricate himself from the assassin profession. Years later, their paths intertwined once more when Viggo’s son took the life of John’s dog, triggering a lethal sequence of events. Eventually, Nyqvist’s villain found himself battling Keanu Reeves alone in the climax.

Michael Nyqvist’s Villains Both Died Fighting Ethan Hunt & John Wick

How They Died Is Very Different

Due to his portrayal of villains in the films “Mission: Impossible” and “John Wick,” Michael Nyqvist stands alone in a class of his own. He’s the unique actor who played the main antagonist in both series, making him the only one to have confronted Ethan Hunt and John Wick in their stories. This is quite an impressive feat for Nyqvist, demonstrating his exceptional skill at embodying Russian villain characters in prominent action movie franchises.

Regrettably, neither of Nyqvist’s antagonists survived their encounters with the heroes in the Mission: Impossible and John Wick franchises. In Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Ethan is indirectly responsible for Kurt Hendricks’ death. At the film’s end, Kurt leaps from a ledge to prevent Ethan from disarming the missile. Although he survives the fall, he succumbs shortly afterwards, having witnessed Ethan thwart his scheme. John Wick adds Viggo to his list of casualties by stabbing him in the neck with a knife, which is a common outcome for villains in both Mission: Impossible and John Wick series.

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2025-05-04 22:03

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